Trenching has begun, with bulk sampling and 1,600 metres of drilling to follow as a new exploration program begins at Equitas Resources’ (TSXV:EQT)Cajueiro project in central Brazil. The company closed its acquisition of the alluvial gold producer late last month with the intention of improving recovery in the near term while expanding the operation.

With a newly acquired portfolio of 184,410 hectares in central Brazil, Equitas will focus exploration on the flagship Cajueiro gold project’s Baldo area.

Exploration will focus on the property’s Baldo area, site of the alluvial operation and a mineralized structural corridor of 820 metres in strike that’s “virtually untested by drilling,” the company states. Results from 34 grab samples of weathered saprolite taken from surface in 2012 ranged from 0.01 grams per tonne to 118.47 g/t gold. Twenty samples surpassed 0.5 g/t, while the 34-sample average hit 14.67 g/t.

Mini-bulk sampling during 2014 and 2015 returned grades as high as 5.77 g/t and 87.2 g/t. Four recent samples underwent processing through an H3 hammer mill with limited capacity. Even so, Equitas was impressed with results of 9.9 grams of gold in 5.63 tonnes, 17.6 grams in 12.7 tonnes, 33.71 grams in 49 tonnes and 28.82 grams in 22 tonnes.